ENF

..... a powdered magnesium supplement has given my digestive system a boost in efficiency, such that most things are no longer a problem......That one supplement has done sooo much good for me that I can hardly believe it. Not only for digestion, but muscle/nerve function, mood, and a number of other things.

Yes, I agree that magnesium is very important, but I find it difficult to tolerate.

Which brand or type of powdered magnesium supplement do you take? I was considering getting buffered magnesium from Kirkman Labs. Do you take calcium supplementation as well?

Thanks!

I haven't had breathing problems.

I was told by Enterolabs that I had elevated soy antibodies, but I have heard that soy lecithin is not hamful to anybody. I don't know - I won't eat Tofu, or drink Soy "milk", and I try to avoid soybeans, but it's hard to eliminate soy completely.

Does anyone know if soy leithin is safe for everyone, including soy-intolerant people?

I'm new to this whole thing. And my doctor told me that i dont have the full blown Celiac Disease but more of a gluten sensitivity (based on blood test results) My main symptom was the big D and that's why i went to the Dr. to figure things out....................... And what's the difference with Celiac disease and just a gluten sensitivity? Should i be doing anything different?

If your blood test is positive, and you have "the big D" often, I do not think that the doctor understands that Celiac disease, not "gluten sensitivity", is present. You may have a "mild" case, but have it nonetheless and must eat accordingly. If you do not plan on eliminating gluten from your diet based on this doctor's advice, I'd recommend getting a second opinion from a gastroenterologist, or other practitioner, that is more familiar with Celiac. Keep in mind that you may have negative blood work and still have a problem with gluten, or even Celiac. I know it's confusing. Celiac Disease is generally understood to mean that gluten can damage the villi, causing other problems.

Good Luck.

When there's no glue stick around, we wet the envelopes' glue with a sponge, wet paper towel or napkin, moistened finger, etc.

Just today I saw loaves of frozen Ezekiel yeast-free rice bread, but the ingredients on the back of the plastic bag listed wheat as an ingredient. You have to be really careful - even in health-food stores.

I felt better, after going gluten-free, very quickly - as in a few days to a week. I did have a severe case of celiac, probably because I was consuming a lot of gluten. My villi, one year after going gluten-free, still showed signs of damage after an endoscope exam at Columbia, but my blood work was excellent. I plan to get tested again soon.

Hi,

I am hoping someone can help me out. I know when you have Celiac your stomach can have trouble absorbing nutrients because of the damage caused by Celiac. Is it important that I supplement my diet to make up for any vitamin/nutrient defiencies caused by Celiac? I posted this before but I didn't hear from anyone so I wanted to try again.

Can anyone help?

There could be several answers to this question. If you have villi damage that is still healing, then you're probably better off taking vitamins and supplements. If you are talking about deficiencies due to a limited diet with Celiac, then it would probably be a good idea to take supplements along with your meals as well.

Thank you for your replies and encouragement.

She got sick within a few days of the operation, presumably because food was introduced too fast. Gluten was never a digestive problem for her in the past, and she's been 100% gluten-free for five months, but she ate a few things that contained it in the hospital- not out of weakness of will, but because it seemed that the vast majority of people are eating the same things with no apparent problems. Most of what she ate was juice, Jello, broth (possible gluten), etc. The only really "bad" things she ate was a bowl of Cheerios and a small piece of white bread. This may have been a mistake, but the jury is out on it. She has always had to introduce foods very slowly after surgery, pre-gluten-free, and this may have caused the reaction. This entire incident was handled without the advice or direction of a personal physician, specialist, etc., so we were unsure about the priority of the diet in the larger scheme of things. Again, that may have been a mistake but it was difficult to handle.

The problem today is that she has not had a BM in two or three days*, and is uncomfortable. She's been walking (indoors) since coming home last week, eating gluten-free grits, fresh fruit juices (limited to 6 oz. a day), fresh carrot juice, turkey sandwiches on gluten-free bread, hard boiled eggs, BUSH'S baked beans, Glutano breakfast bars, and last night I brought her some prune juice. This morning she requested a multivitamin after the Grits.

We have an appointment at the hospital's clinic on Tuesday with the surgeon who performed the operation. He has an excellent record and is well respected in his profession.

Thanks again.

*Edit: Constipation ended Sunday morning!

My wife started throwing up bile two weeks ago, and had to go to the emergency room. We were told that immediate surgery was necessary to remove an intestinal blockage - probably caused by adhesions from previous (non-intestinal) surgeries including hysterectomy, appendix removal, ovarian cyst, and myomectomy. There was no time for second opinions - a few more hours would have meant gangrene and then death. The operation was a success, but recovery was very difficult. She spent about ten days in the hospital, mostly hooked up to an IV, and had to receive potassium intravenously. During the administration of the Potassium, they popped a vein and she underwent excruciating pain because the material leaked under the skin near her wrist - which is still swollen. They also found and removed a golfball-sized fibroid, or some kind of tissue, when she was being operated on for the intestinal blockage.

I encouraged her to take the Enterolab test about five months ago, although she had no suspicions of Celiac Disease, the results were (as the notes below indicate) positive for gluten intolerance, and she's been gluten free since.

Could the sudden change in diet possibly have helped caused the blockage due to not enough fiber, or something like that? She now has to take off for many weeks to recover from this surgery. The pain is terrible, but she

Wondering what people think of this new report about a "safe gluten threshold", which was in the latest Celiac.com Update (and this site).

Research Study on the Establishment of a Safe Gluten Threshold for Celiac Disease Patients

Celiac.com 01/10/2007

Celiac disease researchers in Italy and at the Center For Celiac Research in Baltimore, Maryland have conducted a multi center, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial involving 49 adult individuals who have biopsy-proven celiac disease, and who have been on a gluten-free diet that contains less than 5mg of gluten per day for a minimum of two years

I'm sure you all have a similar story, or maybe not, but either way, here's mine, hopefully someone has some advice on the issue. I have been very ill for the past year and a half, including but not limited to extreme weight loss, chronic diarrhea, bloating, cramping, malnutrition, etc. I have had every test under the sun performed: colonoscopy, upper endoscopy, CAT scans, MRI, blood work left and right, ultrasounds, etc. And here's the kicker, I'm 23 so everyone thinks I'm just a hypochondriac or something. Well finally, my P.A. decided to run a blood test for celiac disease. He said it came back POSITIVE for celiac disease antibodies or something. Well when I took this (good news, it helps to know WHAT is wrong with you regardless of what it is when you suffer for so long from a mysterious cause) news to my G.I. doctor he tells me he won't approve or recognize the results, that the antibody tests mean nothing. I had a biopsy of my inards somewhere and it was inconclusive. So what gives? I was told to try the gluten-free thing for three months, I've been gluten free for 3-4 weeks now and I feel great. I haven't felt this great in almost 2 years. Someone help.

I think that this "doctor", and I use that term loosely, is very wrong - but many of us have had similar experiences. I think that you should dump him. If he's really a G.I. and hasn't gotten the Celiac message by now, he's a lost cause. There are many similar stories here, including my own.

The antibody test results, when positive, are almost 100% proof that you have Celiac Disease. If your endoscope exams were not for Celiac, the chances are that even if there is villi damage, you would not be diagnosed.

You could stay on the dietary path (gluten-free of course) you've been on, and get further testing via endoscope in the near future (at a competent practitioner) or go the Enterolab route. I

To eliminate guesswork, and put the question of soy and casein to rest, we both had the soy and dairy tests done by Enterolab, and the results showed above-normal Fecal Anti-Soy and Anti-Casein IgA Units - which closed the book for us. We are now Gluten, Soy and Dairy free.

Maybe they'll come out with some research and statistics as to the prevalence of soy, and dairy, problems in people with Celiac.

In my wife's case, she had no celiac gastro symptoms, but took the Enterolab tests just to shut me up. The results were positive, and she felt the same way about it that you do - in the beginning. After going gluten free, she started having noticeable heath benefits - the most dramatic thing was that her body shape has noticeably improved. She is now a believer in the gluten-free diet.

Gluten is probably not good for anybody - so get with the program, because you

I guess this is the meat of my confusion. How do I KNOW that going gluten free is essential? Honestly I feel fine, I just get the runs when I eat too much pizza. Just playing devil's advocate here, but this is a huge huge lifestyle commitment! With due respect to Enterolab, there is a lot of debate in the medical community as to the validity of stool testing methods. I really really want to understand what you folks think about this and why I should believe what this guy has to say, instead of wondering if he's selling me a diagnoses. Sigh, this has confused me even more than I was before. It would have been so simple if the testing had been negative...

Maybe you need a second opinon.

So, get the biopsy and/or blood tests if you think that you need a more convincing diagnosis. It's very important, even if you have to pay to come to New York for a visit to the Columbia Celiac Center - or you could go to another qualified place that's closer. People on this board know where other good ones are located. There is a good chance that you'll find a gastroenterologist right in your area that can do it. An easier way, though, may be to just go on the gluten-free diet and see how you feel. Changing my diet was the best thing that ever happened to me, health-wise.

Your health may be at stake, and that's the most valuable thing you'll ever have.

I believe that Celiac disease, which you may have, is a biological, evolutionary advancement for gluten-sensitive people because it "warns" you that the gluten does not belong in your body. Somebody on this message board once called it a "gift" of nature, and I agree.

One thing I am 100% sure of: I will never, ever deliberatly "cheat" on the diet by eating gluten.

P.S. I also had tons of dental work done - probably due to the enamel problems from Celiac.

I'm seriously more confused then ever. I was not expecting this.

It can take two or three years for the average adult Celiac's intestines to heal and, in rare cases, they may never recover. You may have high numbers, but no intestinal damage, and there's no way of knowing unless you get the biopsy. Another way is to have the malabsorbtion test from Enterolab, but that can be misleading due to causes other than gluten.

Of course, as many people here will attest to, going gluten-free is essential when your tests are positive from Enterolab - even if you're asymptomatic. I have "classic" Celiac - so I know what you are going through.

Again, you don't have to get more tests, but if they're available I'd say go for it. There are psychological benefits when you find out that your strict adherence to the diet has paid off. If there is not an improvement after a while of being gluten-free, then the diet has to be examined and possibly changed.

Hmmm, I was thinking that my results were going to be borderline or inconclusive. These are clearly much more elevated than I expected. I guess I need to decide to go gluten-free now or wait just long enough to see my HMO doctor and have them give me a blood test.

Surprisingly, I've not had that many symptoms since sending off for the test. Just a couple episodes.

Anyone know if there is a correlation between how much above normal the numbers are and the degree of which you "have it"? Thanks, Jerry

If you can get an appointment soon, I'd get the blood test and, if you can, an endoscope as well - just so you can compare how you're doing after a year or two on a gluten-free diet. If you can't do this in a hurry, just go gluten-free and get tested anyway in the future. I've had two endoscope exams for celiac, both before and after going gluten-free, and they both showed damage - but everybody is different. As I said the blood tests were normal after a couple of months of being gluten-free, but Enterolab's results were still slightly elevated even after 1 1/2 years gluten-free.

Hi,

Those numbers are pretty high - even for people like me with 2 gluten intolerance genes, positive blood work and a biopsy-confirmed Celiac diagnosis.

The only benefit that I would think you would get from telling your HMO about this is a reimbursement for the cost of Enterolab testing, having further work with a gastroenterologist and/or nutritionist - or for any other health problems that are a result of the gluten sensitivity/intolerance.

Good luck.

Edit: My enteorlab results were Fecal Antigliadin IgA 21 (Normal Range <10 Units), Fecal Antitissue Transglutaminase IgA 15 Units (Normal Range <10 Units). I'd been gluten-free for a year and a half when I got tested by Enterolab - this was considerably after my inititial standard biopsy/blood test Celiac diagnosis. The blood test antibody numbers went down, a few months after going gluten-free, but the Enterolab's test results still have elevated numbers - which I was told is normal for Celiac, even if you've been gluten-free for a long time and the blood numbers are in the normal (negative) range.

The Associated Press December 11, 2006, 5:43PM EST

Gluten-free brewery planned for Arkansas

Constance Rieper-Estes and brew master Leigh Nogy plan to open the Dark Hills Brewery, which will produce gluten-free beer.

Open Original Shared Link

Favorite Holiday Foods Making You Sick?

Monday December 11, 5:08 am ET

Gluten Could Be Culprit, Says Nationally Recognized Expert Carol Fenster, Ph.D.

Open Original Shared Link

Video shown on ABC, New York, Channel 7, Dec. 7 2006. Dr. Green and others:

Examining Celiac Disease

by Dr. Jay Adlersberg

Open Original Shared Link